'Asalanka has been key alongside me' - Jayasuriya on SL's rise up ODI rankings

Yes it's an infrequently played format these days, and sure, the rankings have never meant much. But for Sri Lanka coach Sanath Jayasuriya, the ODI men's team's climb up the ladder from No. 9 around the middle of last year, to fourth now, is indication that they are on the rebound. And for Jayasuriya, they couldn't have done it without the leadership of Charith Asalanka.

"Charith Asalanka has played a key role alongside me," Jayasuriya said ahead of the second ODI against Bangladesh. Sri Lanka had won the first match by 77 runs. "What we have done is to give players confidence and get the best out of them. Players worked very hard and that hard work that we put in has enabled us to move forward. There were mistakes that they fixed."

Asalanka himself has averaged 46.83 and struck at 97.23 as captain. His106 on Wednesday was a match-winning innings.

It had been a tough few years. Sri Lanka finished ninth in the 2023 ODI World Cup, enduring a horror campaign, and as a result failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy this year, for the first time.

But things have looked better since last year. They have won 10 out of 14 completed matches since August, and have defeated India, West Indies, New Zealand, and Australia in series, though those trophies were all won at home.

"It was a big challenge from where we were to come up to No. 4," Jayasuriya said. "It was a big process. We were a team that had missed out on Champions Trophy. Every opportunity we got, we planned and tried to revive the ODI team."

"If we want to move further up, we need to work on other areas like fielding and batting, and build consistency."